OUR VIEW: SYNTHETIC DRUGS POSE REAL RISKS

Parents, wake up and smell the synthetic marijuana.

Although the state banned the sale of an herbal product marketed under
brand names such as "K2" and "Spice" incense last year, synthetic
drugs made with different chemicals continue to be sold legally in
stores.

These fake drugs often are marketed as potpourri, incense or bath
salts. They have caused thousands of people across the country to seek
medical attention.

During the first seven months of 2011, the American Association of
Poison Control Centers received 3,787 calls about exposures to
synthetic marijuana. That number dwarfs the 2,915 calls the
association received in 2010.

Karen Dobner of Aurora knows the potential dangers of synthetic
marijuana. She said her 19-year-old son, Max, smoked iAroma - a
product marketed as potpourri - before he slammed his Chrysler Cirrus
into a home in Batavia Township and died June 14.

Dobner has said her son was hallucinating before the deadly crash took
place. Since then, she has formed an educational group called the To
The Maximus Foundation. The group is committed to educating the public
about the dangers of synthetic drugs. It also seeks to work with
lawmakers to ban such products.

Education about the products is key. While it is legal to buy certain
forms of synthetic marijuana, state lawmakers are working to ban
different forms of the product as they are created.

We need to be diligent about educating children about these
substances. Parents can no longer assume the only drugs they need to
warn their children about are the illegal ones because legal ones are
proving to be just as dangerous.

Researching these substances and having a conversation about them will
help young people better understand why they should avoid smoking a
product that is readily available and legal.

The time to have this conversation is now. These products are cheap
and accessible to young people.

Parental intervention remains the strongest deterrent to use of drugs.
A 10-minute conversation about the dangers of synthetic and illicit
substances might make the difference in your child's life.